The Other One
by Blackspade003
Summary: Harry Potter has a twin sister, Rachel Ann Potter. Will she change things? Definetely. Follow her as she and her brother learn the truth about their past, go through Hogwarts, and many other adventures. Promise this is different! God I hate summaries...


**Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling. If I were, I would have kept her amazing characters to myself, no sharing whatsoever **

**AN: I know that this idea has been done countless times, but bare with me, I promise you I have my own original ideas.**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Darkness descended over the countryside, splashes of golden pink light still lingering on the horizon. Trees bowed and danced in the light breeze that caressed the valley, casting ever-wavering shadows. Creatures of the night left their dens to hunt and explore, wary of any unwanted visitors to their territory.

A monarch fluttered on delicate wings around a nearby rosebush. It took great care not to pierce itself on the thorns jutting off a stem. Enjoying the freedom of tranquil flight, it had carefree thoughts as it circled the bush once, twice, three times. Preparing for its fourth round, it turned the bend and stopped dead in its tracks. Frozen in mid-air, it felt its heart weakening with every passing second, and then fell noiselessly to the ground in a splash of green light, dead.

Smiling to himself, an ominous figure cloaked in darkness lowered what appeared to be a bone-white stick, and returned to gazing at the adequate, two-story house before him. He stood in the shadow of a tall pine, watching smoke curl out of the small chimney. Shadows danced behind the veiled windows, laughter and other such sounds leaking from the cozy home. Disgusted, the dark stranger continued to stare at the house in silence. After a few more minutes of thought, he drew himself upright.

_Its time,_ he thought, and began to walk towards the house, strange weapon drawn and in hand.

James Potter was grinning like an idiot.

Sitting on the well-worn couch in the Potters living room, he held the tiny hand of his fourteenth month old daughter. Her chubby, smooth fingers were so small compared to his long, lean ones. Enclosing his index finger in her right hand, she cooed and gurgled up at him.

Once again grinning, James scooped his baby girl, Rachel Ann Potter, into his arms and began to walk around the warm, spacious room. Bouncing her up and down, he made his way upstairs. His wife, Lily, was attempting to put Rachel's twin brother, Harry, to bed. She eventually gave up and let out an exasperated sigh.

Gently setting his daughter in the crib next to her twin, James wrapped an arm around his wife. Neither parent could stop their rapidly spreading smiles as they watched their children play. Glancing around the room, James' eyes were continuously drawn back to the three people who were in the room with him. Lily, Harry and Rachel. The three people who were his whole life, his reason for existing.

Even as he watched them though, his gut clenched with a sense of dread.

The most dangerous dark wizard (yes, wizard, for that was what the Potters were-witches and wizards) of his time was currently at large. It was this man who had forced James' wife, children, and himself into hiding. He grimaced as he thought of all the people they loved and had to abandon in order to protect themselves against the Dark Lords madness. Unless he was caught they would be cut off from everyone they had cared about for who knew how long, and that definitely wasn't how they wanted to raise their children, or to live for the rest of their life.

Yet he found himself strangely content. Despite all the hardships that the Dark Lord caused, he was happy. James had a loving, caring wife, two beautiful children, and all the love in the world to give them. It was more than he could possibly want and more than he deserved.

Once again his mind turned to unpleasant thoughts. Staring down at his beaming kids, James made a silent vow. He would never allow anything to harm his family, not while he had breath in his lungs and determination in his heart. As long as he remained standing, he would do his best to protect them, even if meant giving his life in return.

Lying on his back, glasses slightly askew, James was in a deep slumber on the couch, the wood in the fireplace dying down. Sitting on his chest, his daughter poked his face and pulled on his ears. His brow furrowed and he let out a tiny grunt of annoyance. Giving up in her attempts to wake him, she dragged her stuffed black dog, Padfoot, toward her and began to pull its legs.

James awoke with a gasp to his daughter sleeping soundly a while later, Padfoot snuggled firmly to her chest. With a sinking feeling, he glanced around the room for the source that woke him. Wrapping a blanket around Rachel, he set her on the couch and sat up. Waving his wand, the dying embers of the fire re-ignited.

_Something's not right,_ he thought.

Still gripping his wand, James made his way to the front door, and glanced out the window next to it. Looking in all directions, he made to reassure himself everything was fine. With a last look, he let the curtain fall back into place.

No sooner had the curtain hit the windowpane that the front door exploded with a thunderous BANG, sending wood in all directions. A dark, hooded figure emerged from the doorway and quickly assessed the room. The intruder's eyes fell upon the squirming bundle of fabric on the couch and he raised his wand, grinning wickedly.

_No, No, No!!_ James had never been so scared in his entire life.

Snapping into action, he flung himself between his daughter and the enemy wizard, raising his wand to protect his little girl. The stranger chuckled as if this were the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen, yet he lowered his own wand anyways.

"Good evening, Potter."

His voice sending powerful vibrations throughout the room, it was a mixture of cruelty and malice. James eyes widened slightly, and he took a step back toward his daughter as the voice sent icy chills down his spine.

"You…" James said.

"Ah, I'm pleased that you recognize me, but not surprised. I assume you know why I'm here, correct?" responded the stranger, taking a step forward.

Unconsciously James took a step back, and they were soon circling each other, wands raised. His opponent moved with grace, like a snake slithering its way across the room. In an attempt to stall him, James said, "I have to admit I was expecting one of your faithful followers."

Hoping with all his might that Lily would either stay upstairs or take Harry and run, James had to focus on protecting Rachel, who was now in mortal danger.

He chuckled darkly, saying, "I'm sorry if I disappointed you, Potter. But you won't have long to worry about that anyhow." With one silent, fleeting motion, he aimed his wand and a bright red light burst from the end of it and went straight at James.

It didn't take long until curses and spells were flying in all directions, hitting furniture, shattering windows, and either blackening or completely destroying the walls. It soon became apparent who was going to win. While his adversary looked as though he could go on forever, James was weakening quickly. Sending a curse that James' foe easily dodged, he backfired with a spell that hit poor James smack in the chest, sending him flying across the room. Wasting no time, James combatant soon had him chained to the floor with invisible bonds, making it near impossible to move, let alone escape. Watching Potter struggle on the ground for a few moments, the Dark Lord turned to look at the bundle on the sofa which was, surprisingly, untouched.

James watched in utter horror as the most feared wizard of his time made his way to the couch where he picked up little Rachel Potter. Moving the blanket away from her face, he looked down at the girl in his arms as she blinked in surprise at the man she never before laid eyes upon. With a slow, evil grin, he brushed a stray lock of golden hair from her face.

"You have an exceptionally beautiful daughter, Potter." he drawled.

"Don't touch her, you filthy bastard!" cried James in his panic of not being able to do anything.

Smirking icily, he responded, "Please, profanity is not needed. It hurts my feelings. I wonder what she'll look like in a few years. Unfortunately, you won't be around to find out, will you?"

Continuing to struggle on the ground with all his might, James yelled, "Let her go!"

Hearing her father's panicked voice, Rachel began to cry in fright.

"Let her go? I think not. Not only will she be extremely powerful when she gets older, what with whom her parents are, but I gather she'll be rather attractive. No, I think I'll just take her with me. But before I kill you, you're going to tell me where your precious wife and son are." He said, with a glance at the crying baby.

Preparing to lie, James opened his mouth, and a strangled wail met their ears from upstairs.

_No. _

Once again grinning, the Dark Lord raised his wand in James' direction. With one last futile attempt, James shouted a nonverbal spell in his head and the bonds around him loosened. Rushing at his opponent's tall figure, James tackled him to the ground before he had time to raise his wand. Grasping his daughter, he made it to his feet before he noticed a wand being aimed at Rachel. Turning in his attempt to protect her, he saw a flash of green light engulf them.

Falling to his knees as he felt his heart drastically slow, James looked at his daughter. Her eyes were wide as she saw the life leave her father's bright, green eyes. Kissing her on the fore head, he muttered, "I love you…" before finally sinking to the floor, defeated.

Infuriated with having been knocked to the ground, the Dark Lord stood and glared at nothing in particular. A strange sensation had taken over him, like he wasn't completely himself. His mind felt disconnected from his physical body, and he felt nauseous. Confused, he looked at the female twin. She lay next to her now dead father, crying and reaching out at him with her short arms. His brow furrowed in further confusion- she should be dead as well.

Between clenched teeth, he growled, "I'll deal with you later." Making his way toward the stairs, he swayed and would have fallen over if he hadn't grabbed the banister before him. Annoyed with the new sensation throughout his body, he determinedly stalked up the stairs. He still had a witch and her son to destroy.

Life on Privet Drive was quiet. That was as it should be considering the sun had set long ago. The only light came from the streetlamps, which stood alone and desolate. Occasionally an owl would swoop by, the only movement detectable. Shining brightly above, the stars were silent guardians and keepers of dreams. Sitting stiffly on a wall, a tabby cat was the only one to notice these things. Having sat there all day, it was rather impatient. Bored with the scenery, for all the houses were the same, the tabby resisted the urge to up and leave. But it had a job to do, and it was going to fulfill it.

It didn't have long to wait for something interesting to happen. As if out of thin air, a man appeared. He was tall, thin, and old. He wore what normal people might describe as odd clothing. A purple cloak, high-heeled boots, and long robes. His half-moon spectacles covered his bright, blue eyes, and his long, silver hair was tucked into his belt.

Glancing at the cat, the man chuckled. Taking what appeared to be a cigarette lighter from his robes, the man flicked it open and the nearest street light went out. Clicking it again, another light went out. Soon all the light had vanished from Privet Drive save for two pairs of bright eyes.

Sitting down next to the tabby, Albus Dumbledore, for that was his name, smiled. "It's good to see you, Professor McGonagall."

In place of the cat, there now sat a rather stern looking woman. Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her bright eyes were concealed behind square shaped glasses. She wore a set of emerald robes and looked rather annoyed.

"Good Evening, Professor Dumbledore." She replied stiffly.

"Why aren't you out celebrating? I past at least a dozen parties on my way here. Surely you would also like to participate in the festivities? After all, this is a momentous occasion for our kind." Albus questioned.

"Whether I would like to participate or not is out of the question. Not to mention you'd think people would be a bit more careful. Muggles aren't entirely stupid you know, and they have certainly noticed. Flocks of owls, shooting stars…our kind are being completely careless!" McGonagall scolded fiercely.

"We can't blame them. After eleven years, it will be good for our people to have a little celebration and happiness." Dumbledore unwrapped a sticky, yellow candy from a wrapper as McGonagall huffed.

"Lemon Drop?" he asked politely. She merely glanced at him and shook her head.

"Professor… I have to ask. Are the rumors true? That You-Know-Who is finally gone?"

"My dear Professor, when are you going to call him by name? There's absolutely nothing to fear from a name, yet everyone insists on avoiding it. His name is _Voldemort_. With all this He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and You-Know-Who, it gets rather confusing." He replied determinedly.

Professor McGonagall huffed once again. "You're different from others. Everyone knows that you're the only one Voldemort ever feared. What about the other rumors though… about the Potters…James and Lily? I heard that- that- that they're…dead."

Dumbledore hung his head and she gasped in disbelief.

"Oh dear… I didn't want to believe…how horrible." Sniff. "What about the twins? Are they alright? Do you know what they're saying about them? They're saying that Voldemort tried to kill them also… but for some reason he couldn't. They say that when he failed to kill them his powers disappeared and that's why he's de-gone. Is it true?"

"We may never know what happened to stop him. The truth of that question lies with the Potters and himself." Gaining heaviness, Dumbledore's voice took on a saddening tone.

Taking a great shuddering breath, McGonagall attempted to control her emotions. She had known the Potters and it broke her heart to loose such great friends. Drawing another breath, she said, "What will become of the twins? Where are they now, anyways?"

Smirking, Dumbledore said, "Hagrid is bringing them. From now on, Rachel and Harry will be living with their aunt and uncle." McGonagall mouth fell open but he continued. "They are the only family they have."

Outraged, McGonagall couldn't help her sudden burst of passion. "But you can't do that! Not these Muggles! They are the worst sort of humans I have ever seen! They won't understand how the twins have affected our world. Their son for example is the most selfish child I have ever laid eyes upon! Lily and James would never have approved of this."

"It cannot be helped." He proclaimed sadly.

"Their won't be a child in our world who doesn't know their names! They are already famous as it is!"

"That is another reason why they must stay here. That is no way for a child to grow up. Ah- that would be Hagrid." Dumbledore's eyes gleamed in excitement, as a thundering roar reached their ears.

Growing steadily louder, the rumble seemed to be originating from the black, veil-like sky. Looking up into the darkness, a huge motorcycle fell seemed to fall from nowhere and onto the road before them. The man clambering from the giant bike was, more or less, a giant. Nearly twice as tall as the average man, and five times as wide, he resembled a wild bear. Hands the size of dinner platters, and feet like wolfhounds, his long tangles of bushy dark hair and beard covered the majority of his face. And safe in the crooks of his enormous, muscular arms were two bundles of blankets.

In a rough, scratchy voice, the giant spoke. "Evenin' professors."

"Good evening, Hagrid. No problems, I trust?" Dumbledore was eyeing the blankets with a look of relief.

"No, sir. 'Fraid there weren't barely nothin' left of the house, though. Only jus' got the twins out in time, 'fore Muggles started swarmin' 'round." Hagrid replied gloomily.

Stepping forward, the two professors bent their heads toward the little bundles. Reaching out with one long, ancient hand, Albus Dumbledore proceeded to pull back the fabric to reveal two sleeping babies. On the boy's forehead, partially exposed under his jet black hair rested a newly procured cut the shape of a lighting bolt. Hidden beneath the blankets, the boy's sister bore an equally fresh scar. This one had no distinguishable shape, but stretched rather crookedly across the inside of her wrist.

Looking up and down the street, Hagrid let out a wail loud enough to raise the dead. He began to cry loudly, dripping fist sized tears and nearly dropping the sleeping twins. McGonagall quickly snatched them away, and scolded him for his stupidity. "By Merlin, Hagrid! Do you want to wake the whole world?!"

Through hiccupping sobs, he managed to regain control, saying, "I'm s-s-sorry. Its jus' with Lily and James gone…" he broke down again and let out a wail higher than the rest. "An' what about the twins? What's gonna happen to 'em? Will we ever see 'em again? Surely they can't live with Muggles; they won' know how to treat 'em!" Finally it was just too much for him, and he buried his head in his hands.

On Dumbledore's order, Professor McGonagall gently handed him the Potter twins. Juggling a child in each arm, Albus gave them a caring look, and whispered, "You deserve better. You deserve your parents."

Stepping over the low garden wall, he strode silently to the door of number four, Privet Drive and carefully laid the Potters at the foot of the door. Placing a letter in the tangles of Harry's blanket, Dumbledore turned on his heel and walked back to join the others on the street. For a full three minutes, none of them moved as they stared at the bundles.

"Well, what's done is done. Let's not dwell on things that ought not to be dwelled on. I say we might as well go join the celebrations." All the brightness that had graced his eyes had vanished.

"Yes well, I s'pose you're right, sir. G' Night, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall." Without another word Hagrid hopped on his flying bike and took off, breaking the silence with the roar from its engine.

Sniffing, Professor McGonagall opened her mouth but Dumbledore beat her to it, "I expect to see you soon, Professor McGonagall."

Once again opening her mouth, she said, "Yes, I'll see you soon. Well, Good Night, Professor Dumbledore." With a final glance at the dozing children, she turned her back. At the end of the pavement a tabby cat rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

Albus Dumbledore remained rooted to the spot. His eyes swept from bundle to bundle. Though they would grow up parentless, they still had each other and that was all that mattered. Feeling his eyes begin to water, he quickly recuperated. Walking to the middle of the road, Dumbledore took one last glance at the doorstep of number four, Privet Drive.

"Good luck, Rachel and Harry Potter." And with that blessing, he vanished with a pop.

**AN: Yes, I did it! My first chapter :) I'm so proud of my idiotic self. This is my first fanfic, but not the first thing I've ever written, so don't thing of me as an amateur or I'll set Wormtail on you! Eww! I have a mountain of ideas for various fics; I just have to find time around school to write them XD.**

**Anyways, what did you think? Too long, too short? **

**REVIEW!!!!!! ... Please? Flames will be ignored (I hate damage to my creative soul), but constructive criticism is definitely welcome!**

**~Blackspade**


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